At 4:50 from Paddington Station

Mrs. McGillicady, during a train ride, witnessed a murder — she saw a man strangled a woman in a compartment of a train car that was going along a parallel branch. Arriving at St. Mary Meade, Mrs. McGillicady talks about what his friend Miss Marple saw. Older ladies go to the police, but since the corpse was not found, the inspector decides that Mrs. MacGillicady has dreamed up. Miss Marple completely disagrees with this and decides to start her own investigation.

Miss Marple suggests that the body thrown out of the train could be near Rutherford Hall, an old estate located not far from the railroad tracks. She asks Lucy Islesbarrow, a professional housekeeper, to get a job at Rutherford Hall and try to find the body that Miss Marple believes is hidden there.

Luther Krekentorp lives in Rutherford Hall - an old miser, hypochondriac , family tyrant, whom his unmarried daughter Emma cares for. He has three sons - Cedric, Harold and Alfred, who gather in the estate only for Christmas. The fourth, Edmund, died during World War II. There is also Brian Eastleigh, a widower of her dead daughter Edith, and their teenage son Alexander. Luther receives only a relatively small allowance, and all his fortune will be received by his children.

Lucy discovers a corpse in an estate shed, in an antique sarcophagus. There is no doubt that the killer is one of the inhabitants of Rutherford Hall. Now it is necessary to establish the identity of a woman and find out who was interested in her death. According to one of the assumptions, the murdered woman, shortly before this, wrote to Emma, ​​calling herself Martina, the wife of the deceased Edmund Crekentorp. She said that she was going to come to ask for help in her son's education. If the victim is really the wife of Edmund, and the boy is the son of Edmund, then the number of applicants for the inheritance share increases, it means that all relatives become interested in the woman’s death. Since the killer is a man, Harold, Sederic, Alfred, and Brian Eastleigh are suspected. A police check shows that they all have financial problems and no alibi.

After the next meal, the whole Krekentorp family suddenly falls ill - everyone has symptoms of severe poisoning. After some time, Alfred dies. An analysis by family doctor Kuimper, and then repeated by the police, confirms that there was arsenic in the curry. A few days later, at home, Harold dies - on behalf of Dr. Kuimper, pills were sent to him, as it turned out, containing poison. The will of Grandfather Krekentorp is made so that the whole state is divided between the children of Luther, who will be alive at the time of his death. There is a suspicion that someone from the family decided to eliminate rivals in order to remain the only claimant to the inheritance. In addition to the state, the heir will receive the estate itself, costing huge money.

However, through the efforts of Miss Marple and Inspector Craddock it is possible to establish the identity of the murdered and the true picture of the crime. Martin is found alive - she really knew Edmund, but he died before he could marry her. Killed - Anna Stravinsky, actress of a variety touring troupe, the wife of Dr. Kuimper, who escaped from him many years ago. Anna did not give the doctor a divorce because she was a Catholic. The doctor (who always claimed that his wife had died while still young), wanting to marry Emma Crackentorp, had to get rid of his wife, for which he killed on the train and hid the body in Rutherford Hall. He was the author of letters on behalf of Martina, and he poisoned the brothers to create the impression that the killer was someone from the family.

• Miss Marple - investigates the murder at the request of his girlfriend.
• Lucy Islesbarrow - a professional housekeeper, an excellent specialist in domestic work, worked for Miss Marple, at her request, hired at Rutherford Hall to investigate the alleged murder.
• Elspeth McGilicady is a witness to the murder, Miss Marple's girlfriend, lives in Scotland.
• Josaya Krekentorp - for the duration of the action - the deceased, is mentioned as the founder of Rutherford Hall, an industrialist, father of Luther.
• Luther Krekentorp - the owner of Rutherford Hall, a tyrant, at first glance gives the impression of a man with a bouquet of senile diseases.
• Cedric Krekentorp - the son of Luther, an artist from Ibiza.
• Harold Krekentorp - the son of Luther, a banker.
• Alfred Krekentorp - the son of Luther, the organizer of a very dubious business.
• Emma Krekentorp - the daughter of Luther, the only one of his children cares for him.
• Brian Eastleigh - the husband of the deceased daughter of Luther, Edith, a retired military pilot.
• Alexander Eastle is the son of Brian and Edith, the only grandson of Luther Krekentorp.
• James Stoddart-West - a classmate, peer and best friend of Alex Eastle
• John Quimper is Luther Krekentorp's physician.
• Dermut Kreddok - Inspector Scotland Yard (appeared in the novel " The Murder Is Announced "), Sir Henry Klittering - his godfather.

• 1961 - "At 16:50 from Paddington". In the main role - Margaret Rutherford . The film also starred Joan Hickson , who later embodied the image of Miss Marple in another television series.
• 1987 - “Just on schedule”, the 9th episode of the show “ Miss Marple ”. Starring Joan Hickson.
• 2004 - At 4:50 from Paddington, 3rd episode of Agatha Christie ’s Miss Marple . Starring Geraldine McCuyen .